


Lord, Don't Let Me Break This

by five_of_five



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Gen, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Missing Scene, Not Beta Read
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-07-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:21:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25525069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/five_of_five/pseuds/five_of_five
Summary: It’s not until they’re out of London and have switched cars for the second time that the thought even occurs to Nile.“You guys didn’t destroy the lab,” she regrets the words almost as soon as they leave her mouth; Nicky’s arm tensing along her side and Joe’s hands curling into fists next to him.
Relationships: Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 19
Kudos: 343





	Lord, Don't Let Me Break This

**Author's Note:**

> I couldn't stop thinking about the end of the movie and why these very smart and very paranoid immortals would leave the lab standing and risk further exposure. So...this is my answer.
> 
> Also a million thanks to The Old Guard for watering my crops and kicking me out of a major writer's block.

It’s not until they’re out of London and have switched cars for the second time that the thought even occurs to Nile.

“You guys didn’t destroy the lab,” she regrets the words almost as soon as they leave her mouth; Nicky’s arm tensing along her side and Joe’s hands curling into fists next to him.

“No, we didn’t,” Nicky says softly, taking one of Joe’s hands in his own which reflexively relaxes to curl into whatever shape Nicky requires.

“But,” Nile can see the tense line of Booker’s shoulders in the passenger seat and the white-knuckled grip Andy has on the steering wheel. The last thing she wants to do is press now, when it hurts them just to breath around the wound of betrayal and one wrong move will throw gas onto a fire that was banked so that they could all escape from Merrick’s house of horrors.

But, they’re her team now. Her people. And she needs to know.

“Isn’t that dangerous?” She finally asks, turning to Nicky for the answer.

“Yes,” he smiles softly, and Nile knew she could count on him to move past his personal heartache for the sake of keeping the peace. “But it was also the right thing to do.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t they just going to come after us again now that they have samples of your DNA and tissue?”

“It is a risk,” Nicky concedes, “but Merrick was operating without his company’s approval or knowledge.”

“It’s why there was only one doctor and few assistants,” Joe interjects. “He couldn’t risk news of what he was doing getting back to his board.”

“Contrary to the example set by Doctor Kozak, not every physician can so easily abandon their morals,” Nicky continues. “It was likely difficult to find trustworthy and competent assistance for their research.”

“The threat of prison if or when their methods became public wouldn’t help,” Andy chimes in from the driver’s seat. “Merrick used a private lab, with limited access and a closed camera network which was set to monitor but not to record. His countermeasures against being prosecuted for illegal human experimentation acted as our safeguards against detection in the upcoming investigation.”

“The only personnel who knew what we could do are dead or running for their lives,” Joe picks up the explanation, his words harsh and clipped. “We were meant to vanish into a vault once Merrick had his precious samples, there are no records that we were ever there.”

Booker sinks lower in his seat and Nile really will stop pushing in a moment, but she’s still confused.

“Okay, so I get that the company has no idea we even exist, but they’re still going to find a lab full of unidentified DNA with properties that can’t be explained by modern science,” Nile looks at each member of her team, trying to understand. “What’s going to stop them from using what they took from you?”

“Nothing,” Nicky shrugs as much as his position wedged in the back between her and Joe in the cramped sedan will allow. “As I said, we did the right thing, to destroy the samples would mean destroying the chance that our biology might one day help humanity, we could not do that.”

“But aren’t we all in danger now?” Nile glances again at Andy, her body is rigid, and Nile worries that she’ll pull her stitches if she doesn’t unclench soon.

“We are always in danger, Nile,” Nicky says kindly. “The lives we lead, discovery is always a risk. No one walks through this world without leaving a trace of themselves behind, but we have vowed to try and ensure that our mark on humanity is for the better.”

“This was a choice that was taken from us,” Joe’s voice is cold where Nicky’s had been warm. His eyes never leaving the back of Booker’s head. “But that doesn’t mean that we should punish humanity for it, if it is possible for us to help cure disease, then we have to give them a chance to discover that for themselves.”

Nicky picks up Joe’s hand, placing a soft kiss to the inside of his wrist, turning Joe’s attention away from Booker and all thoughts of vengeance.

“And perhaps they will, my love,” he speaks the words into Joe’s palm. “Or perhaps,” Nicky sighs releasing Joe’s hand, which instead of dropping Joe turns swiftly to run his fingers through Nicky’s hair. “Perhaps they will find nothing, and the key to saving the world does not lie in our DNA.” Nicky leans into Joe’s caress, taking the comfort, before turning back to Nile.

She slowly nods her head, “So what you’re saying is, they already did the worst part by torturing and experimenting on you, so rather than have it all be for nothing, you’re gonna hope that maybe the next scientist will be able to find something useful?”

“Essentially,” Nicky smiles. “One thing you learn when you live as long as we do; it does no good to hold onto a grudge or to act out of spite. The former causes only indigestion and the later, heartbreak.”

“Got it,” Nile whispers. Her eyes go back to Booker who is slowly starting to rise again, no longer ducking for cover from the team’s anger; and to Andy, reaching to tune the radio to something classical, her posture gradually relaxing once again.

“Get some sleep, Nile,” Nicky advises. “We have a long journey ahead,” with that he curls into Joe’s side, his partner’s arms already reaching out to him and with a familiarity that only comes from practice they settle into one another, squeezing as tightly as possible into their small corner of the world.

“Yeah,” Nile agrees, the exhaustion of the last few days finally catching up to her. “Good advice,” she winks briefly at Andy’s arched eyebrow in the rearview mirror, before closing her eyes with a long sigh.

It looks like the road ahead is very long indeed, and Nile doubts this is the last emotional minefield of a conversation they’re going to need to get through before everything is settled from this mission. But for now she has Joe and Nicky’s warmth beside her, the low hum of Booker’s voice reading out directions, and Andy’s steady presence in front of her, driving them to safety. She can sleep.


End file.
